Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-05-09
THE CIRCUS.
HALF THE TOWN ON THE STREETS, LAST
EVENING,
To See the Big Show Come in-A Great
Crowd Of People Watch the I'm
loading Process.

It is safe to say that five thousand
citizens of Wheeling spent at least
one hour each, at some time during yester-
day afternoon or last evening, in watch
ing for the circus" and probably half this
number congregated along the sidewalks
from the old Fair Grounds at Zane and
Huron streets, to Twenty fourth and
Water, between nine and eleven o'clock
last night, watching the somewhat excit-
ing and very interesting operation OF I'M
loading the scores of heavy wagons and
hundreds of horses, overlooking the pro-
cess of hitching up, and gazing, with
that rapt attention which only
circus wagon, even though it be
viewed in the dark, can inspire,
at the heavily-laden teams pulling the
vans and chariOts over the rough streets.
As early as o'clock crowds and clusters
of ladies and children began TO gather at
such salient points as the Island approach
to the suspension bridge, and the corners
along Water street, south of the creek,
watching for the first appearance of the
circus trains. Hour after hour passed,
and no circus appeared; but as fast as
would-be spectators became tired out and
meandered off to supper or church, Others,
fresh from their several homes, took their
places, the crowd thus holding its own
or slightly increasing. By O'Clock there
were several hundred people occupying
eligible positions along the sidewalks on
the Island, while Main street, from the
stone bridge south to Twenty-fourth street,
was thickly studded with little groups of
people The great crowd, however, was
along the sidewalk on Water street, from
Twenty-third to Twenty-iirst, and at nine
o'clock there must have been two thousand
spectators in this vicinity. About this
time the first circus train pulled in, and
the work of unloading was at once begun.
The crowd all ut once grew vastly larger,
and =. half hour later, when the pound
ers and cage-hustlers had gotten hard to
work, the jam was tremendous.
The alarm of fire, ut a quarter to ten,
caused wild stampede in the crowd Of
spectators, and in few minutes Main and
Market and the cross streets, from Twenty
third to Twenty-siXth, were blocked with
an excited thrOng of lovers and sweet
hearts, confirmed bachelors, old maids,
roughs, married men and their wives,
children and dOgs-all rushing along in
mad confusion, as though each individual
was dead sure his own property was inn
perilled by the flames, and his presence at
a. ha 70
promptly smother out the fire.
This little diversion over, the multitude
returned to its first love, the circus, and
until eleven o'clock and after the crowd
fingered lovingly near the long trains,
men, women and children standing placid
" in the mud, while they inhaled the
balmy odOrs from the dCns and drank in
the picturesque scene with eager eyes.
The small boy was i'll his glory. When
he wasn't under the heels of the horses, or
making miraculous escapes from being
run over, he was poking up the elephants
with sticks, peeping under the canvas
covers OF the gilded and be-mirrOred char.
lots, or sUrreptitiOuSly trying to mount
one of the ponies, hitched here and there
i'm little groups to the fences or lamp
posts, while his more or less anxious pa
rents devoted themselvS to vain search
for him, in order to drag him off to bed.
The amount of stuff brought in by the
show was very large, and the work of I'M
loading was not completed until long after
midnight. 1t promises TO be great cir
Gus, and if the weather is ut all prOpitious
there will be large attendance.
The route of procession this morning
will be as follows; Starting from the old
Fair grounds, along South Huron street to
Virginia, east on Virginia to and over the
bridge to Tenth, east on Tenth TO Market,
south on Market to Sixteenth, west on
Sixteenth TO Main, north on Main to
Tenth and thence across the bridge to
place of starting. The procession will start
about 10 o'clock. The circus will be open
at and : O'clock, and the performances
will begin at , and 3. We are requested
to announce that the night performance
will be of the same length rs that of the
afternoon.